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Welcome to this episode of your favourite column, Service Report, that works in collaboration with Smart Harare, your smart reporting tool. This platform seeks to objectively promote residents’ relations with their elected leaders with the sole idea of creating the environment we want – a smart city. This is everyone’s responsibility, hence the need to have a common platform, where residents and councillors alike virtually meet and share their concerns, complaints, and compliments where it is due. In this issue, we focus on waste management, an issue that is so pertinent in our city, as the local authority continues to face challenges in dealing with the matter. As indicated earlier on, communities also have a responsibility to ensure a clean environment within their neighbourhoods.

Recycling

Sunningdale 2: Maritime Waste Solutions, a community based initiative is running a pilot project in the area to help dealing the issue of waste management. The founder of the organisation Mary Wazara says “The matter of waste management calls for a collective effort if a clean environment is to be achieved.”

Her organisation works with City of Harare, Environmental Management Agency, Petricozim, Recycle Today, and the community. Residents are taught how to handle waste, through the use of separation of waste at the source, so that recyclable waste is not mixed up with non recyclable waste.

“We buy waste for recycling from residents who have organised themselves as a community based organisation, through the use of trained litter monitors,” she said. Wazara said the project as a trial has been successful through the buying in of all stakeholders including the local councillor, Hammy Madzingira, and urged other residents from other areas to contact them for training, as well as advice in implementation in their neighbourhoods.

Ward councillor Madzingira thanked Wazara for the project, and urged for its adoption by other ward councillors and their residents.

Uncollected Refuse

City Centre: There is rubbish piling up at corner Charter Road and Cameron Street, which has gone uncollected for months. People doing business nearby including those on the streets have expressed concern over the matter, they say they are even finding it hard to use the public toilet located at the same place.

Cork Road: Residents in Avondale have complained over the non collection of refuse, saying this will fuel the spread of disease. “Unreliable trash collection – we put bins outside only for collectors to take ages to come and then the rubbish is opened and spills all over the road. Considering high rates please improve service!” reads one post on SMART Harare. Another post on SMART Harare queries; “#Twimbos @cohsunshinecity is there any reason why refuse in CBD, avenues hasn’t been collected in ages? Residents deserve better @hararenews – submitted by @nigelrtg.” The Mayor of Harare, councillor Bernard Manyenyeni recently told residents in an address that his council is quite concerned about the undesirable state of refuse collection which has led to illegal garbage dumps across the city. “The refuse compactors that were acquired in 2010 are ageing hence the frequent breakdowns. Council is in the process of procuring more trucks. The situation has been aggravated by an indifferent culture of littering among our residents,” added the Mayor. He said refuse collection efficiency is around 70 percent, and admitted that those who have gone for weeks without waste collection may challenge this claim, and promised that council is working on prevention, effective landfilling and partitioning the dumpsite into cells, improved collection systems to avoid contamination.